Week 5- Friday, February 5th

     Once again, we have come to the end of another week. My mind still can't comprehend how it is going by so fast. However, I'm kind of ready to get through EdTPA and student teaching so I can hopefully get the job that I have always wanted. This past week was a 3 out of 5 for me. I was overly stressed and had a lot going on in school and outside of school. It can sometimes be difficult to balance everything. Having a life while trying to get everything done for school almost seems impossible sometimes. I'm trying to make time for myself while also doing what I need to do. 

    This past week was my second full week of teaching. I finished teaching my EdTPA literacy lessons and thought that they went very well. The students took a final assessment and most of them did great! It is refreshing to see evidence that your students are learning something from you. However, there are sometimes setbacks, and not all students will do as well as you hoped. In those times, it is important to remember that it won't always be sunshine and rainbows. One pleasant surprise that I experienced this past week dealt with one of my students. She came up to me during the day and told me that she really likes the way I teach and that I don't get mad at them when they don't understand something. If I'm being honest, I almost cried. Sometimes you just need one person to tell you that they are proud of you or that you are doing a good job, even if it is a little person. 

    My experiences from this past week taught me that I need to give the students a break every once in a while. With being hybrid, we are really loading the work on because they have to learn everything in two days. Even a quick 5 minutes of recess or a brain break would be beneficial for the students. My short term efforts are still aligned with my long-term efforts because I am still working on my weekly lesson plans and getting everything taught successfully so that I can pass EdTPA and successfully finish student teaching. I think I could have spent more time on Monday and Tuesday evenings working on my lesson plans for the next week. I think the best thing for me to do going forward is to set a specific time aside each day to work on lesson plans and my other assignments. Doing this will help fight my procrastination issue. Apprehension and indecision didn't affect me too much this week. However, it did affect me while writing my task 2 commentary and choosing my videos. I wrote it and then decided that I was not pleased. So I have chosen different video clips. My first logical steps for next week are to start early with my lesson plans and assignments. 

    This week, our students took the Reading and Math MAP tests. It was evident that most of the students have grown in their reading and math skills. This is great news and we are excited to move forward. A piece of advice that I can give to my fellow student teachers is to have a close relationship with your clinical educator. I think I have said that before but it is so important! I am so thankful for my CE and the relationship that we have. I really feel like I can talk to her about anything. 

NCTCS Standard 1: This week, I was able to analyze data from the MAP tests as well as grades from my EdTPA learning segment. I have also been able to take responsibility for my students' learning. 

NCTCS Standard 2: I have been able to create a positive and respectful environment in our classroom by being respectful and making sure that my students are respectful to each other. I am pleased to say that everyone in my class has positive attitudes and get along great. 

NCTCS Standard 3: I have been able to know the content that I am teaching by using the Standard Course of Study to guide my lessons, as well as the required curriculum. 

NCTCS Standard 4: I have been able to engage my students in the lessons this week as well as allow them to work in partners sometimes (that is a bit more restricting because of covid).

NCTCS Standard 5: Reflecting on my progress has been a big thing this week with finishing up my EdTPA lessons for literacy and having completed two observations. My CE will be observing me soon, which will lead to even more reflection. 

    I am polishing Tasks 1 and 2 of EdTPA, and beginning to work on Task 3. At the moment, my CE and I do not need any extra support from my supervisor.